Researchers observe DNA methylation in Alzheimers disease

DNA methylation, a process which regulates the activity of genes, in Alzheimer's disease has recently been observed during a large study. Increasingly, this process is thought to have a key role in the development of diseases such as dementia. The study, led by the University of Exeter and published in Nature Communications, is the largest of its kind to look at DNA methylation in Alzheimer's disease. DNA methylation is the process by which the activity of genes is regulated, acting a bit like a dimmer-switch to turn genes on or off. Increasingly, this process is thought to have a key role in the development of diseases such as dementia. It's often assumed that these changes primarily occur in neurons, but surprisingly we found much more dramatic shifts in non-neuronal cell types. This means we can start to understand more about the mechanisms involved in disease and identify pathways that might be targetable by novel drugs."